Because I "spokah the Spanish", he trusted me!

Dear Family,     EMAIL 8/4/12     GUATEMALA MTC

     I love it here! Seriously, this place is the greatest! My companion, Elder Stuart is a really cool guy, really obedient, and funny, so I think that we are going to get along just fine. Also, I am really really REALLY enjoying the food here. It isn{t quite rice and beans like I thought. So far we have had things like Carne Asada, Pork, Trout, and all of these different, delicious kinds of food. The only rule there is that you HAVE to eat anything you take. Not usually a problem for me though. ;) Ha ha ha. And the fruit! OH!!!! The fruit is delicious!!!!! If you have only eaten fruit from the US, you don't know how fruit is supposed to taste. I don{t know if I will ever get used to the fruit back at home after this. Their watermelon is more melon than water, their piñas are so juicy and sweet, and their juices (every kind of fruit juice you could think of) is the sweetest, most flavorful juice I have ever tasted. What else? What else? Ummm.... OH! And their guacamole! It is insanely good! I have met some of the cooks and I always compliment them on jobs well done. Some of their names are Diego, Ruiz, Gloria, and I forget the name of the last one I met. Gotta figure that out.

     So in any case, side note, I don{t have an Enter key and the { thing is supposed to be ', but it takes to long to remember where' is. My district is cool. Everyone seems to get along and have fun. I have the most experience with Spanish though. Most of the other Elders (and Sisters) have only had about three weeks or a year of Spanish. So I get the opportunity to help a lot of the time. And now, I have a responsiblity to help them, because I have been called to be the District leader. It{s quite a big responsibility, but I actually kind of look forward to it. Not really to boost my own self esteem, but the class often has a hard time focusing, and it is sometimes left up to me and Elder Martinez (he is also in my new district) to kind of herd everyone together and get them moving. I kind of felt a little like the unofficial leader. Hopefully, now that this call is extended, I can get a little more help with leading the group. I am a little scared of the call. I haven{t been in a leadership postition in a long time. Just FHE Father at BYU, but that job I didn{t have to be in charge every moment of the day. The president of the MTC (Pres Nicolayson) has stressed the importance it is that I become the most obedient, the most enthusiastic, the most loving, the most focused,and the most dilligent in my group. No pressure there right?  I told him that I would do my best, but right after he said, 'No, you{ll do better.' I really hope so.  I am going to need the spirit more now than ever to look out for the members of my district. Personally, I am a terrible leader. But with the Lord, nothing is impossible...right? The President also stressed that I ought to bring my district towards the right direction, not push or force them, so I really need to learn to have more Charity and patience.

     The members of my district are me, elders stuart, oveson??? hendersen, Martinez, Willie, Yates, Jacobsen, Russell and one more whose name escapes me, and Hermanas Dansie and Fallond??? I really got to learn all of their names. While here, I have also made a lot of Latino friends too! Elders Ruiz, de Leon, Arboleda, and some others have been really cool to me, and have helped me with Spanish as I help them with English. So everyone wins!!!! Ha ha ha.

     Yeah, about eight minutes left. What else to say, what else to say??? Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. OH! the Temple!!!! the Temple is amazing here. It is a little grayer and surrounded by buildings than the old pictures show, but I can see it all the time, and I think it is beautiful. Also I really enjoy P.E. time. We still play volleyball, except, now it is over concrete. Ha ha ha. Don{t worry, no injuries...yet.....and what else to say?

     Oh! Nick, if you get this email, I got a letter from Elder Pierce. He came to the temple the day before I got here, and it is kind of a bummer because even though I am in his mission, he can{t come visit me. Bummer.

     One last story before I go. When I was on the 930 pm plane headed for LAX (my flight to Texas got delayed and we needed a new one), I was looking for a spot to put my carry on away, so I handed my bag and waterbottle and my copy of our search for happiness to a man sitting next to my seat. When I returned, and after we took off, I tried to talk to him in English, but he only spoke Spanish. So I asked him the same question in Spanish, and because I "spokah the Spanish", he trusted me! Ha ha ha. We talked for a little while on the plane. He learned why I am going on a mission, and I learned that he is a semi prof soccer player from Mexico, a teacher, and loves movies. He said he wanted a family, and we started sharing pictures of our family, and Tana, Joe, and Grace's cards on the plane. It was so much fun, and he really had a good time.

     Gotta go now. I love you ALL SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!!!

Love Elder Welker